Bet you can't wait until all those buds open. LOL

I know right? I feel like I'm the only one that hasn't had their 1st flush yet.

Nick, I hope they all bloom soon. I get a bit impatient myself at the start of the season and check them everyday. But most of mine have been blooming like mad for about a month now.

I have a question for you. I see that with your potted roses, the soil level is high in the container. Have you had them in pots for a year already? If so, how did you keep the soil from compressing to the halfway point of your container? That is a problem I run into often. I have many roses in pots, but the soil level drops to the halfway point on many of my roses over time and I'd rather keep the soil level near the top of the pot. Thanks!

Juliet

WOW!! I`d love to visit your back yard in about a week! It`s going to be spectacular! I don`t have any open blooms yet but lots of buds . I just love this time of year.Please post pictures when they burst open. Lesley

Juliet, it's always sunny in California...that's why haha. For almost all of my potted roses, I used Scott's Moisture Control potting mix. It's a fairly dense soil that retains moisture well(almost like throwing in peat), so it packs down fairly well and doesn't "splatter out" as much when it rains and when I water. I typically would bury the grafts/bud unions for all my roses, but all of the roses that I potted last year, I just buried the band or store-bought rose with the graft/bud union slightly above the soil INITIALLY. I say initially because I amend the soil with Rosetone and fill it to the top of the pot as best as I can. After I top the pot off, I tend to push the soil down to compress it a bit, then water to have the soil settle down, and refill the pot with soil accordingly. I typically wait a few days or until the next rain and let gravity just pull the soil down, and then top the pot off again. By this point, the pot is pretty much full of soil and since I refilled multiple times, the new soil level is then ABOVE the graft/bud union. I tend to want to pot the rose as high as possible so the roots have a couple extra inches to utilize and slow the rate of the rose becoming pot bound. Since I have potted them, I really haven't lost much soil other than the millions of squirrels in Columbus digging through the pots, which caused me to add about an inch more this spring. I kind of know what you are referring to with the soil dropping though as it can kind of have a quicksand effect with the roses being sucked down the container while throwing on more soil and essentially "burying" them. Luckily, I haven't had any of those issues though. I just add, pack, wet, and kind of mentally plan ahead to guesstimate how far the rose will sink in the pot during the 1st week or so and plant the rose slightly higher because of that. If you have a fine soil and large drain holes, you might be losing soil through there though too.

I'm with you Jeff, I have lots and lots of buds but none are opening, we have had a few warm days so maybe I'll see some color sometime this week....I HOPE! Be sure and post pics when your roses do bloom.

Thanks for the information, Nick baby. Don't forget to post photos when your roses go into the blooming stage. And post at the Antique Roses gallery as well.

Juliet

Looks great - jealous jealous!! :)

Your Abe Darby looks like the perfect bud!

You're (and I hope we) are in for quite a show!!

Carol

Can't wait to see all those blooms such healthy plants just waiting to bust forth. Please post more soon.
Harold

Anticipation...

Thanks everybody.........and don't worry......I'll post MANY pictures of my roses and other's roses as they come. I just got my 4GB memory card for my camera in the mail, so I have more photo freedom.

Everything looks beautiful. Looking forward to the open flowers, but the buds & foliage are just as pretty.

Your roses look as clean as a whistle and just so healthy. Your method of planting must really be working since all your roses look gorgeous. I too am in anticipation of the blooms.

Ingrid